The Timbers, Brighton

RIBA Stage: 0-3 (Design & Planning)

Sector: Developer

Consultants: CMK Planning (Planning Consultant)

A previous scheme on this Portslade site had lapsed, its dwellings falling below current National Space Standards, and planners had indicated that overlooking issues would make a fresh application difficult to approve.

We designed around that objection directly, using oriel bay dormer windows to control views and outlook while giving the two new mews-style houses a distinctive architectural identity, turning what could have been a design compromise into the scheme's defining feature.

The result was a change-of-use conversion from commercial space to two new dwellings that met current space standards, secured planning permission where the previous attempt had failed, and increased the value of the land ahead of sale.

As Brighton architects working across Portslade and the wider city, we look for the design response that solves a planning objection rather than working around it.